Horrific moment ‘elderly man is blasted to death by Russian tank on streets of war-torn Mariupol’

THIS is the horrifying moment an elderly man is blasted to death by a Russian tank on the streets of war-torn Mariupol.

Ukrainian forces, which released the footage, called the incident a "murder" and have referred it to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

The clip was reportedly shot in the besieged city of Mariupol on Tuesday and shows a Russian tank hidden among the rubble of a destroyed building.

Moments later, it suddenly opens fire on a civilian, reportedly a man, allegedly killing him instantly as the shell hit the building right behind him, creating an explosion of flame and smoke.

The chilling footage has been shared ministers and MPs.

"Cruel footage of the murder of a resident of Mariupol by Russian tankers," said the Azov Regiment, which released the clip.

"The elderly man drew attention to himself so that he would not be shot, and Putin's villain shot at a defenceless civilian man.

"This is what the 'Russian world' looks like.

"This evidence must go to the Hague tribunal."

Mariupol has been decimated by Russian artillery and bombings over the past two weeks, with reports of trapped civilians suffering from ill-health and hunger.

The eastern city has seen more than 3,000 civilians killed and 80 per cent of its buildings destroyed, according to Vitalij Moskalenko, Ukraine's ambassador to Belarus.

Last week, Russian missiles hit a maternity ward, with the horrific images making headlines around the world.

Parents have been forced to leave their vulnerable premature babies behind at a hospital as the number of children killed in the conflict reportedly rose to 103.

Hospitals in Mariupol continue to suffer relentless attacks by Putin's troops - with soldiers reportedly taking hundreds of staff and patients hostage to use as human shields.

Sergei Orlov said about 400 people are now being stopped from leaving the Mariupol Regional Intensive Care Hospital.

He told the BBC: “We received information that the Russian army captured our biggest hospital... and they’re using our patients and doctors like hostages.

“We can confirm this information and also the governor of Donetsk region has confirmed this information. We received information that there are 400 people there."

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the Donetsk region, said Russian troops were pulling people from nearby buildings and forcing them inside the hospital.

The ICJ is set to rule today on Ukraine's genocide claims against Russia.

Ukraine filed a complaint with the ICJ on Sunday accusing Russia of committing genocide against its people.

The Azov Regiment began as a far-right, neo-Nazi group that started out as an urban militia and a political party that has since expanded and, through service to Ukraine, has been incorporated into the Armed Forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have capitalised on their presence to announce his so-called "special military operation" to "de-Nazify Ukraine", painting the whole country with the same brush as this regiment.

The Azov Regiment is believed to number approximately 1,000 soldiers.

It comes as drone footage appeared to show the shocking moment Russian soldiers shot dead a civilian who was surrendering himself.

The distressing clip shows the man getting out of his car with his hands up before dropping to the ground almost immediately.

The video was obtained by German broadcaster.

The outlet reports that the incident appears to have taken place on the afternoon of March 7, on the E40 expressway outside Kyiv.